Ratchet-type floor laying tool



'July 9, 1957 w. A MILLER RATCHET-TYPE FLCOR LAYING TOOL 2 Sheets-Ghee: l

Filed June 29. 1953 Fig. I

r r r INVENTOR. William A. Miller ATTORNEY July 9, 1957 w. A; MILLER 2,798,691

RATCHET-TYPE FLOOR LAYING TOOL Fig. 7

Fig.

- INVENTOR. William A. Miller ATTORNEY United States Patent() 2,798,691 RATCflETgT-YPE FLOOR LAYING TOOL William A. Miller, near Weston, Colo. Application Jnne 29, 1953, Serial N 0. 364,657; acleim te 2 44) As a development trom and an improvement over the disclosures of my United States Patent No. 2,588,401, dated March 11, l9f52, and my pending application for UnitedStates patent Serial No. 316,925; now Patent No. 2,719,166, filed October 2:5, 195;, this invention relates to floor-laying tools and has as an object to provide an improved 'con strnction and operative interrelation of elementsconstituting such a tool. i

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved floor-laying tool employable to crowd matched flooring boards into intimate edge contact and to hold said boards in such crowded relation during the nailing thereof, the tool being operable to establish and to hold successive slight increments of board shift throughout an extensivera-nge.

A further-object of the invention is to provide an improved floor-laying tool characterized by a multiple ratchet latch operable toretain the ram element of the tool in the-various practical positions of its adjustment.

A further object of; the invention is to provide im: proved floor-laying tool conveniently and efliciently op.- erable to establish and maintain board crowding pressures of a high order at the precise points where such pressures are needful.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved floor-laying tool adapted for convenient and ready release from its various operative dispositions.

A further objeet of theinvention is to provide an improved floor-laying tool operable in association with a complementary adjunct to accomplish its purposes closely adjacent any Walllimiting the area of a floor. A further object of the invention is to provide the .cornbination with a floor l aying tool of an adapter e 105 able to condition the tool for operation closely adjacent a wall limiting the area of a floor.

A turther object of the invention is to provide. an im- Proved ap r e ere l With e eet-lev es. i ei to 1 dition said tool for practical use closelyadjapent a wall limiting the area of a floor.

A further object ot the invention is to provide an im-. p o feel e de e f h e ee and for the u P s s hereinafter ee he th t is s ueie an ine e sive of. pr u i n, fac e 9 s ada table to e eetiv e e h h in a var ety o pa tie e uation e hi e ensi i e eht i tteihhi h e the e d fee h e de i ed and du a threh he a l n P ied h epe iehs use with h q e e s and e he hiee n view, y me vention consists: in the constrnction, arrangement, and operative com ation of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out-in my claims, and illustrated by the accom- Pes ns rawin s, .in which? Figure 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the improved toolsas assembled and positioned ready f! Practical use.

1 Figure 2 is a top plan viewof the organization according to Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a verticalsection longitudinally through the Patented July 9, 1957 2 illustrated embodiment of the improvement taken, sub.- stantially on the indicated line 3 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken transversely of the illustrated organization substantially on the indicated line 4+4; of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, detail enlargement of the ratchet arrangement illustrated in Figure 3'.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of an adapter cooperable withQthe tool shown in the preceding views to condition said tool for accomplishment of its purposes closely adjacent a wall, the position of the ratchet tool being indicated by broken lines,

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the adapter shown in Figure 5 as separated from the ratchet tool.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the adapter shown in Fi u 1.

The purpose ntility and general operative principle of the Pre en i ievemeh hereinebeve he d; it be heh sne esise hetihat h si ee eard Sueh es si ee ieevei ea iret be i w e and Pr i to tihu e vehs2 se ie t. e their a e ed edges, du ng eyih 92 a fiee i9 att in de ed hi h qu y of e u stru cturaldepartnre from the disclosures of my patent and en n E PHU'QhI QQ; th n tan i v t o p ov d s a t a e'fie v' tefeeeqmpii h a l o the funetions he e t in y ea li r. d scl sures wit f li y and va t e and to ael emp ieh. .ee ta h ethe f ie e r h ch the. ea r ee we e heteaual y well ada teddief thee ehieht's oi t e m ie esi heel th .1e.e. eept e .ei markete late t h d ibe a semb ed than ,qperatiye unit. 79 er in uppe ted teiet en Wi h a pr ab -t eteh hler ba e 1.0 of su tab e ri id mat ria as me a The-base 10 s term das inte r unit pre er bl y castin or mel n y app op ate si e Qheia teIiZedI b a len t re te than it i h a d a a d were fer a e mmeda en ef e eeia d e eme its, as wi he eina e appea F nvenient e ei ee, theehd .ef th ba e. 10 eme e om the floor bea ds he -d. up n by e mothe n h use her f s idehtified h h ume el 11 and s h ide ed s h th ea end. f the. a m y wh le hev ep e it nd of aid a e, i e isne ed b the-humeral 1.2, is eehsidered F be nd i termed h-Qi iqm, hdef th n t he 11 r side h h ba 1,0 s eenh y a d eh i tusina ly rented e P v de a he he' ep i h ou h the under face of said base and through the base front and .12 hi set thrensh h base e n 11,10 te m a slideway for a straight, elongated ram member 13. The hem m be s i Pe ie fly rectangular n t nsve s section to engage within and to fill the correspondingly: rectangular slideway of the base 10, thus to inhibit any tendency of the ram member to rotate in its mounting, said membe is of a n h extend ud nall of the base 10 andbeyond the base front end 12 when the opposite end of the member is seated against the inner fncepf the closed base rear end 11, and a plate 14 is de: tachably engaged with the under face of the base 1.0 in bridgeing relation across the slideway occupied by the member 1,; to retain the latter in said slideway. for l e e h on i u in l of h ba e; d Plate 14 preferably extending from the base front end 12 beneath n alone e te en e heni h r 1 he end portion of the member 13 projecting beyond the. base 10 when said member is fully seated in its slideway is worked o e form of a cylindrical o s 1, loes l re: ceivable in a yl ud ie s ek r r ed ee rh ii em! to p n hrou t e rea thee of e P e s b eeis .6 hav n a length approximating the width of the base 10, whereby to mount block 16 on,-i n advance of, and for travel with the exposed end of the member 13 in a manner permitting said block to rock slightly on and adjust relative to the'boss i5- terminating said member. Theblocle 16 is formed with a forwardly-directed face parallel to the base front end 12 land with a groove 17 longitudinally of said face in position to embrace and accommodate the conventional edge tongue of a flooring board, as will hereinafter more fully appear;

The long sides of the base are longitudinally undercut, or rabbetted, to receive and seat spur plates 18 detachably engaged with said sides of the base, as by means of cap screws 19, said plates 18 extending in width beyond the under face of the base 10 and being formed with spurs 20 in spaced succession along their free margins and in an inclination convergent toward the plane of the base rear end 11; it being the function of said spurs 20 to bite into a sub-floor and thereby anchor the base to the floor in any desired position of use.

Appropriately spaced inwardly of the base rear end 11, paired ears 21 integrally upstand from the upper surface of the base 10 at opposite sides of the base longitudinal median line and in alignment transversely of said base, and an elongated slot 22 longitudinally intersects the base thickness adjacent the outer side of each ear 21 and extends in both directions beyond the adjacent ear. The ears 21 are apertured to receive a pin 23 thereby mounted to bridge between said ears transversely of, above, and parallel to the base 10 upper face, and ends of said pin extending beyond the cars 21 engage with the spaced, parallel, like, arms 24 of a rigid, U-shaped yoke 25 thereby pivotally mounted for actuation through a vertical arc. The arms 24 of the yoke 25 are entered through and accommodated for oscillation in the slots 22 intersecting the base 10, the base member of said yoke 25 spans in clearing relation across the cars 21, and a manipulating finger 26, expediently in the form of an open loop, is fixed at one end to and centrally of the yoke base member in extension thence toward the base rear end 11; said arms 24 and finger 26 being so angularly related as to dispose the arms at a downward inclination toward the base front end 12 with the arm tips at approximately the plane of the base under surface when said finger 26 is engaged with the base upper surface, as shown in Figure 1, whereby elevation of the finger 26 operates to rock the yoke 25 about its pivotal mounting and to engage the free ends of the arms 24 with the subfioor supporting the assembly for retraction of the spurs 20 from their penetration within said sub-floor. From the position of the slots 22, the base 10 is longitudinally routed through its under face to provide channels opening through the base front end 12 wherein are loosely accommodated retractile coil springs 27 resiliently intercoupling the yoke arms 24 and corresponding ends of the presser block 16, said springs functioning in an obvious manner to yieldably hold the yoke 25 with its finger 26 engaging the upper surface of the base 10 and to yieldably retain the presser block 16 on land for limited adjustment about its mounting boss such spring coupling of the block 16 to other elements of the assembly facilitating interchange of particular blocks 16 when and as desired. As is manifest, the springs 27 operate by virtue of their retract-ile character to hold the member 13 at the inner limit of its range of reciprocation relative to the base 10, in which position the block 16 is disposed parallel to and closely adjacent the base front end 12 with the block grove 17 directed away from the assembly, in which relation of elements the unit is positioned for use with the length of the base 10 perpendicular to the edge of a flooring board which is to be crowded into place and with the groove 17 positioned to receive the tongue element of said board edge, and the spurs are engaged with the sub-floor to secure the unit in such disposition, whereafter extension of the ram member 13 from the base operates to crowd the floor board away from the base 10 and against the adjacent, previously placed flooring board.

A significant feature of the improvement is the arrangement and organization of ratchet means manually Operable to extend the ram member 13, from the base 10 and to latch said member in any of various minor increments of its extension. Longitudinally and centrally of the base 10 upper surface and inwardly adjacent the base front end 12, an opening through said base upper surface between ears 28 fixedly upstanding from and in alignment transversely of said base exposes a length of the member 13 top surface, which latter surface is transversely and uniformly toothed, as at 29, throughout the major length thereof. Hinged on a pin 30 carried by the ears 28 transversely of, above, and parallel to the base top surface an end-opening clevis 31 is mounted with its open yoke directed toward the member 13 and with its axially-socketed other end directed away from the base 10 for the reception of an actuating lever 32, of appropriate length, removably and replaceably associated therewith. A pin 33 carried by the arms of the clevis 31 and bridging the yoke of said clevis parallel to the pin 30 pivotally mounts a ratchet detent 34 engageable with the teeth 29 of the member 13, and a tapered lug 35 outstands from the detent 34 radially of the pin 33 under the yoke base of the clevis 31 and toward the base rear end 11 in such manner as to slidably engage a beveled base margin 35' at the rear end of the opening wherein the detent operates as the lever 32' approaches the limit of its swing toward the base front end 12 and thereby rock the said detent 34 on its mounting pin 33; such engagement of the lug 35 with the margin 35' functioning to lift and hold the detent 34 out of coaction with the teeth 29 of the ram member 13 at each forward limit of lever 32 oscillation and consequently releasing said ram member to the mfluence of the springs 27 as modified by the latches hereinafter described each time the lever with its attachments is set for a ram-extending stroke. Forwardly of the base 10 from and parallel to the pin 30, a pin 36 bridges between web extensions of the ears 28 to pivotally mount a bank of similar latch fingers 37 disposed to incline downwardly and toward the base front end 12 to engagement of their lower ends with the teeth 29 of the member 13. The latch fingers 37 are alike save as to their length extension between the mounting pin 36 and their free ends engageable with the teeth 29, each of said fingers being formed with an eccentric curved nose 38 rearwardly of and above the pin 36 and with a free end 39 shaped for coaction with the teeth 29, and a plurality of such fingers 37 is mounted in parallel adjacency on the pin 36 to provide a bank coextensive in width with the toothed upper surface of the member 13 so arranged as to permit individual oscillation of said fingers on the said pin. At the base front end 12, a clamp plate 40 detachably engaged transversely of the base secures a comb-like leaf spring 41 in position to bear against and to apply pressure to the forwardlyexposed upper margins of the fingers 37, one of the spring 41 teeth bearing separately against each of the fingers 37, thereby to hold the free ends 39 of said fingers into ratcheting engagement with the teeth 29 of the member 13 while permitting independent oscillation of the fingers 37 against the so-imposed pressure of the spring 41. Since the latch fingers 37 have their free ends 39 at varying distances from the pin 36, it is clear that one of said fingers, at least, will latch with a tooth 29 at each slight outward shift of the member 13, even though the member shift be much less than the distance between adjacent teeth 29, thus assuring retention of the member 13 in every position of slight adjustment outwardly of the base 10. Release of the fingers 37 from latching relation with the teeth 39 is manually accomplished, when desired, by means of a yoke 42 hinged by its arms to the pin 36 and bridging at its base across and closely adjacent upper arcs of the fingers 37, which yoke is furnished with a manipulating finger 43 outstanding centrally from its base. As should be apparent, rocking of the yoke 42 on its mounting pin 36 in an arc toward the base rear end 11 serves to engage the yoke base with the eccentric nose arcs 38 of all of the fingers 37, thereby rocking said fingers simul- 5 taneously against the pressure of the spring 41 and raise ingthe finger free ends- 39 into clearing relation with the te t e ease o t e oke Permit t p ing 41 to return said fingers 37 into enacting relation with said teeth 29. i

Constructed and assembled as illnstrated and hereinabove described, the tool is completely ready for practical use. The free end of the lever 32 being moved to the limit 913- it tra el t ward t e base fro en the point of the lug 35 .is trapped under the margin 35 to hold the detent 34 out of coaction with the teeth 29 of the ram member 13, anda rearward rocking of the yoke 42 by means of its-finger 43-lifts-the latches 37 out of engagement with said teeth tof-ully-free the ram member for retraction within the base by means of the springs 27. With the ram member fully -retracted, the springs 27 yieldably maintain such ram disposition and simultaneously holdthe tips of the yoke arms 24 retracted within the base 10, while release of the yoke 42 permits the spring 41 to return the latches 37 into ratcheting engagement of their free ends with the ram teeth 29. Conditioned as set forth, the tool is positioned on a sub-floor relative to the matched boards of the finish floor as above set forth and the lever 32 is oscillated to actuate the tool for its intended purposes. As the lever 32 is swung toward the base rear end 11, the lug 35 is cleared from under the margin 35 to permit engagement of the detent 34 with the teeth 29, whereafter the lever travel operates through the clevis 31 and said detent to feed the ram member 31 outwardly of the base against the tension of the springs 27, the free ends of the latches 37 ratcheting successively over the apex of each tooth 29 passed thereunder to retain the successive increments of ram extension. At the limit of its ram-extending stroke, or at any point in such stroke, the lever 32 is reversely oscillated to freely ratchet the detent 34 over the teeth 29 and to a new purchase thereon effective for progressive extension of the ram, the latches 37 securely holding the extended ram against retraction during such lever manipulation. With the spurs caught in the sub-floor and the head 16 engaged with the floor board to be crowded, extension of the ram member 13 accomplished as above set forth is applied to most effectively engage the crowded board in intimate edge contact with the board previously laid and to hold the crowded board while it is securely nailed. Having accomplished its function in a given setting, the tool is quickly conditioned for reuse in a new location by swinging the lever to the limit of its forward travel for release of the detent 34 from the teeth 29, rocking of the yoke 42 against the pressure of the spring 41 to lift the latches away from the teeth 29 and thereby permit retraction of the ram member within the base, and lifting of the finger 26 to rock the arms 24 into engagement of their tips against the subfloor with a leverage effective to release the spurs 20, thus fully resetting and freeing the tool for immediate reuse.

As is obvious, the tool as shown and described is available for effective practical use throughout all of a given floor area except a strip paralleling the length of the boards being laid and extending outwardly from a wall toward which the floor is closing a distance equalling or exceeding the overall length of the tool, within which strip it is manifest that the tool may not function in its usual manner. Corrective of this minor, but important, inadequacy of the tool, it is expedient to provide an adapter of the type illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8 wherethrough the operative characteristics of the tool may be applied to flooring boards filling the gap above mentioned.

The adapter consists of-a rigid, unitary frame fabricated in any expedient manner to receive and mount the base 10 of the tool in the manner hereinafter set forth. The adapter frame is rectangular in plan and is characterized by parallel, ventical flanges 44spaced apart to receive the width of the base 10 therebetween, by a vertical end flange 45 closing between corresponding ends of the flanges 44. and determining thelength of the latter asap,- m a y q l t le of th b e li y h n.- zon'tal flanges 46 extending in coplanar relatign inwardly from the lower margins of the flanges 44 and 45 to stiffen the assembly and to providestrips against which the spurs Z o he lmay rest, and y a member 47 f wdly br d between the ends of the flanges 4.4 remote from the flange 45 beneath or in the plane of theiassociated .ele: ments- .46 and characterizedfby a depending flange .47 spacedly paralleling the flange 45 in a vertical extension opposite to that of said latter flange. The adapter frame is ,designedto rest upon. the finish. floor with its length perpendicnlar to the. boards thereof and. with its flange 47' depending across the unfinished edge of the finish floor and. into marginal engagement with the sub-floor, in which disposition the adapter receives the tool assembly as shown by broken lines in Figure 6, the spurs 2Q of-the tool resting upon the longitudinallyrdisposed flanges .46, the rear end 11 of, thetoolbase abutting the flange 45, and the head 16 of the tool being directed for projection through the open end of the frame above the element 47, in which relation of elements the tool may be operated with the head 16 against a wall to develop pressures tending to shift the adapter and its tool on the finish floor and away from the wall. To apply the pressures effective to shift the adapter on the finish floor for crowding of successive floor boards into place, a rigid, U-shaped yoke 48 is formed with a base adapted to bridge transversely under the adapter frame and with parallel legs arranged to upstand across the exterior faces of the spaced flanges 44, and sockets 49 for the reception of the legs of the yoke 48 are fixed to and outstand from the flange 44 exterior faces in a spacing along said flanges 44 approximating the usual width of a flooring board and in such registration trans versely of the adapter as will dispose the yoke engaged therein with its base parallel to the flanges 45 and 47'. One side face of the yoke 48 base is longitudinally slotted, as at 50, for coaetion with the tongue member of a flooring board, and with the yoke 48 assembled to the adapter in the manner illustrated, the slot 50 of the yoke base is opposed to the free edge of a flooring board being laid and operates to crowd the board away from the wall and into place as the tool is operated in the adapter to shift the assembly away from the wall. The yoke 48 is engaged with the appropriate pair of sockets 49 and the tool is operated as above set forth until the last width of flooring is to be laid, at which time (the yoke is removed and the flange 47' is utilized to complete the crowding of the last board strip. Manifestly, any desired number of paired sockets 49 may be supplied on a given adapter frame in any preferred spacing longitudinally of the frame, thus expediently conditioning the adapter for use with flooring boards of varying widths.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the form, construction, and arrangement of the elements shown and described may be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, I wish to be understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claims, rather than by any details of the illustrative showing and foregoing description.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a floor-laying tool having a base provided with means for penetrative engagement with a sub-floor, a ram reciprocable longitudinally and through one end of said base, and means manually actuable to extend said ram from the base, a presser block loosely and telescopically engaged with and projecting laterally at each side of the exposed ram end exteriorly of the base, a yoke hinged to and adjacent the end of the base remote from said presser block to dispose the yoke arms at a downward and inward inclination through the base and toward said presser block, and a retractile coil spring longitudinally and loosely traversing the base at each side of said ram in engagement between the arm of the yoke and the lateral projection of the presser block at the same side of the ram, whereby said springs function 7 t to yieldably retract the yoke arms within the base, to retain the presser block in mounted relation with the exterior endvof the ram, and to urge said ram inwardly of the base.

2. In a floor-laying tool having a base provided with means for penetrative engagement with a sub-floor, a ram reciprocable longitudinally and through one end of said base, and means manually actuable to extend said ram from the base, a presser block loosely and telescopically engaged with and projecting laterally at each side of the exposed ram end exteriorly of the base, a channel longitudinally of the base at each side of the ram opening through the lower surface of the base and the end thereof intersected by the ram, a yoke hinged to and adjacent the end of the base remote from said presser block to dispose the yoke arms at a downward and inward inclination toward the presser block through the base and the inner ends of said channels, and a retractile coil spring longitudinally of and loosely within References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 389,228 Knight Sept. 11, 1888 737,691 Adams Sept. 1, 1903 863,394 Hopkins Aug. 13, 1907 977,471 Pickering Dec. 6, 1910 1,166,691 Keller et a1. Jan. 4, 1916 1,569,346 Wilson et al June 12, 1926 2,708,097 Hinger May 10, 1955 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N0a 2,798,691 July 9, 195'? William A. Miller It is hereby certified that error appears .in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2, line 18, after "mprovement" insert are fully elaborated in my patent and pending application".

Signed and sealed this 20th day of August 1957..

Sfiifit KARL H, AJCLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Conmissioner of Patents 

